Upper limits of the Hellfire?

01-08-2012, 11:44 AM

Yesterday i took my 6 6 Hellfire into some pretty solid surf at Hanalei Bay. Caught a couple solid waves that were around the 8 foot Hawaiian scale (About 15 foot face) Personally it felt like I was pushing the upper limits of this board, but with saying that, the Hellfire handled those freight trains fairly well. A good solid step up board with lower volume would have probably been better, but for everyone that is worried about the HF being too much like a hybrid to handle good waves, erase those thoughts!!!

8 foot Hawaiian, musta been nice... It barely got 4.5 foot (9 foot faces) and inconsistant here on the Big Island. I have not had the chance to get good waves on my 6-4 Hell fire . it was really crowded here and I ended up with my Dominator. My Dominator proved to the be the best choice, until I can get an uncrowded day at one of my favorite breaks Glassy and perfect. I am almost thinking I should have gotten a 6-6 Hellfire

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Thats food for thought Chris!! Maybe the Hellfire can be tweaked with a step up version?? Seriously I was really surprised how well the board handled decent sized Hanalei bay, a wave that once it starts getting in the overhead plus mark, can really be a down the line freight train!! FritzKat, sorry to hear that swell didnt wrap into Kona. I know it takes a good strong west swell to get in there. Hopefully you can get that Hellfire in some juice soon. Waves have been going off here on Kauai, so I have been putting on some mileage on my 6 6 Hellfire. At your weight Fritzkat, the 6 4 should be just perfect. I am hovering around the 215 mark, so the 6 4 would have worked for me, but I am a slow paddler!!

In terms of only catching these types of waves (as opposed to how it surfs), would the Hellfire's extra length of 2 inches (and shape) be the better option or would the additional width and volume of the Dominator mean you would not notice the difference that much?

I'm debating which one to get (I might even get both with the intention to use the Hellfire as a step-up instead of say an Alternator).

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Aloha lieay001, I have the same two boards in my quiver. Both boards catch waves easy. For the type of waves your describing, the Hellfire is the better choice. How heavy are you?

Hi

I'm 90kgs (200 pounds) at the moment, 35, slower than I used to be. Planning to get back down to 80kgs eventually. Have been out of the water for 12 months due to multiple operations but about to get back in to it. I tried a mates 6'4 (not firewire and unsure of volume) and struggled to catch waves at this particular break, hence contemplating which one I should go for.

yeah its a tough call whether you want to ensure paddling OR paddling+performance. I think the Hellfire will be a better all around board for the conditions even though the dominator might paddle a touch better. you'll get a lot more hold out of the hellfire and really be able to draw off your rail when bottom turning in order to get around a big section. The Dominator will be a good call when the wave is a bit softer and the pocket is a bit shorter.

hope this helps!

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Thanks for the responses guys. Interesting, I thought that even though the 6'6 HF has less volume than the 6'4 Dom the added length of the HF would provide better 'glide' and paddle faster. If not, I'll go with the Dom (with the view to adding the HF at a latter date).

I'm also waiting on a SP at the moment, dying for it to arrive!

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If you're getting a SP, I'd recommend the HF over the Dom. It'll widen your range up a bit more with the SP covering 1-3ft and the Hellfire coving 3-Who Knows-ft.
Where as the Dom is more a 2-4ft kind of board.
The Dom paddles a little better than the Hellfire due to it holding more thickness throughout, it's wider nose and tail, and it's relaxed rocker. On the down side it makes it a little trickier to surf in bigger, more powerful and hollower waves. This is where the Hellfire is going to excel.
I'd make your call depending on the conditions you find yourself in mostly rather than which one has the flat out paddle speed.

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I live in Victoria, Oz. The wave quality and power is generally good down here with great variety. The intent for purchasing the SP was that there are a couple of breaks down here that I would consider 'Mal Only' breaks, i.e. almost all waves are caught by either long-boarders or potato chip riders. Most short-boarders dont catch much, if anything at these breaks due to the waves being 'fullish'. So I've purchased the SP I guess as a niche board with the intent to use it specifically at these few breaks (having said that I will try it in all other types of waves - e.g. 3-5 foot bells beach/winkipop just for a bit of fun etc).

I think the Dom would cover all other breaks down here.

My thoughts with the HF are similar to the SP. There are a couple of fast point breaks here that when it gets solid I think the HF would be the best option. I now realise it most probably would not be from a 'catching a wave' perspective but more along the lines of performance at these couple of spots.